New group lobbies shelter to kill fewer animals

An organization advocating for minimizing euthanasia at the Central Missouri Humane Society made its case last night to the shelter’s board of directors.

According to a statement prepared by No Kill Columbia and distributed to the board, the number of animals killed at the shelter increased from 24.05 per 1,000 Columbia residents in 2009 to a projected 28 per 1,000 residents this year. “The numbers made us realize that we need to do something,” said Michelle Bird of No Kill Columbia.

Bird criticized former Executive Director Alan Allert, who resigned from his position earlier this month, for not doing more to reduce euthanasia during his tenure.

Board President John Shrum later defended Allert’s efforts to improve the shelter’s operations, and Bird clarified her statements: “He wasn’t a proven no-kill director, and this is what we are looking for.”

No Kill Columbia members passed out copies of “Redemption” — a book authored by Nathan Winograd in which he advocates against the “wholesale slaughter of animals in shelters,” according to his website — to board members and urged them to read the book to better understand the group’s position.

Tracy Green of No Kill Columbia said today the group is not opposing euthanasia for animals in cases of failing health or extreme aggression. But she said CMHS should not use euthanasia as a means of keeping down its occupancy rate. The shelter can better achieve this, she said, by better communication with animal rescue groups and expanding the hours the shelter allows adoptions.

“We understand that euthanasia will still be a part of our shelter,” Green said.

Shrum said board members would prefer the shelter not euthanize animals, but if the shelter were to suddenly stop euthanasia, it would be forced to turn away animals. Shuttering the shelter’s doors, Shrum said, could lead to animals dying less humane deaths, such as by starvation or at the paws of another animal.

National groups have come out against the idea of no-kill shelters, saying euthanasia is a better end for animals than slow deaths in overcrowded shelters. Teresa Chagrin, an animal care and control specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said when a shelter uses euthanasia to control its occupancy rates, it isn’t forced to close its doors to additional animals when cages are full.

“Once all of your cages get full, people keep coming,” Chagrin said. “You have to turn them away.”

Shrum said the board has not yet begun to look for a new executive director for the shelter, and when asked to provide a timeline of when the search can begin, he replied: “soon.”